Alphonse Nguyen

Rhythm and meter are an important aspect of music. You could have a good sequence of notes that would make for a nice-sounding melody, but without the appropriate duration of note values the melody wouldn’t go anywhere.

Speaking of which, the rhythm in “Jesu, Joy of Man’s Desiring” by Bach consists of many triplets. Triplets happen to be naturally excellent for rhythmic purposes as they easily flow from one beat to the next. In Bach’s cantata, however, their repeated use would have gotten boring after some time if not for the pitch of the notes themselves. This again shows how melody is dependent on both pitch and timing.

Now to propel the melody forward and to keep the flow moving, use the strong and weak beats to your advantage. You’ll need to keep the beats in balance, as the music will want to push towards the stronger beat via the weaker beat. In addition, the alternation in forces can also help you with the phrasing.

The Sound of Music – Maria

Don’t forget that rhythm is also present in the accompaniment and that it can set the mood/tone of the piece. In the second movement of Beethoven’s Sonata Pathétique, the slow rhythm/pace in the main melody is supplemented by the steady rhythm of the accompaniment.

Rhythm can be treated as a motive: you can augment it, diminish it, and vary it to keep the interest. In the next example, observe the usage of sequences (I’ve written out the skeletal essence of the rhythm).

Beethoven – Symphony No. 5, 1st Movement

In “The Nightmare Before Christmas”, “What’s this?” is incorporated throughout the song as a motive. The lyrics and music go together effectively as you experience Jack’s sense of wonder and awe in Christmas Town. The energy in the melody builds until “What’s this?” is even used to end the phrase.

For further studying purposes:

• Ocarina of Time – Lost Woods
• Debussy – Golliwog’s Cakewalk
• Cinderella – Bippity Boppity Boo
• Rachmaninov – Prelude in G minor
• Star Wars – Imperial March
• Chopin – Grande Polonaise Brillante

And simply for fun:

• Crazy For You – I’ve Got Rhythm